This week I want to share with you the incredible story about an amazing, life-changing experience a new friend of ours had last summer.
I’m excited to share his story with you because
1) he’s taken deliberate action to continually improve his life
2) he’s discovered he’s Financially Independent, which has allowed him to choose what’s next in his life
3) he’s done something most of us wouldn’t even consider doing.
Brad and I connected through a local FIRE meet up I help organize and lead. He mentioned at our first meeting that he wouldn’t be back for a while because he was taking the summer to bicycle across the U.S. That’s right – I said, he was going to bicycle across the entire United States – from the west coast to the east coast.
His story intrigued me, not just because he accomplished something most 50-year-olds would never even consider trying, but because of his reasons for doing it. Not to mention the outlook on life that he walked away with.
How good money decisions led to the experience of a lifetime
The search for a simpler life
Brad and his family started their path toward a simpler, less stressful life several years before they even discovered FI.
Several years ago, Brad was working long hours in a high-pressure job in a large metropolitan area. He struggled to pull himself away from work to see his family and found that, even when he was home, his mind would go to work.
He discovered the most effective way to ease his job-related stress was to completely remove himself – and escape the city with his family. They bought a place in the country in a small rural community in Iowa where he was fortunate to manage a midsize company and raise their children.
Though things improved and they enjoyed their time in the country, the pressure from the job still took a toll and Brad’s wife was experiencing some health issues. Brad and his wife decided they needed to make a more drastic change.
They had never heard of FI at this point, but they started making plans to change everything, financially and otherwise. Within a year, they sold almost everything, including their country home on 15 acres. They moved and settled into a new life and new work in a mid-sized Iowa town.
Discovering financial independence
In 2012, Brad and his wife discovered Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Though Brad says he doesn’t necessarily agree with every single thing in Dave Ramsey’s program (especially investing side of things), he believes it’s a great program for helping couples to get on the same financial page and set shared goals.
Brad and his wife had always been money savvy and were able to pay off their debt quickly. Then, in 2017, Brad picked up JL Collins’ book, The Simple Path to Wealth and found Choose FI.
Since they had already been saving and investing a decent amount they realized they were close to financial independence.
This realization, along with the natural reflection that comes when kids grow up and start leaving home, got Brad thinking about what was next in life.
Bike trip of a lifetime
Brad started biking three short years ago after not being on a bike since childhood. When Brad’s family made their move to the mid-sized town in Iowa, he and his wife met some new friends that loved to bike. They gave it a try and loved it.
He discovered biking checked several boxes for him and he enjoyed it. Biking gave him the opportunity to exercise, socialize, and think too. As a bonus, it’s a hobby that doesn’t have to cost a ton of money.
On his search for what was next in life, Brad decided he wanted to do something outside of his comfort zone, something completely different, something he would do on his own.
Something that he could look back at and say “I did this.”
Combine this with his love of biking, and riding his bike across the U.S. seemed to fit the bill.
Some people could not believe he was doing it.
But he was super motivated and wanted to see where a big challenge/adventure like this would take him. Not only did he want to accomplish something big but, he sought the answers to what was next for him.
After weeks of planning, he went to his boss to ask for a sabbatical for the 50+ day trip. He was ready to quit his job, if necessary. But his boss gave no argument and didn’t hesitate to approve the time off.
The ride
Brad caught a flight to Portland and then took a bus to the coast to dip his wheels in the ocean before he started on his journey. He said it was like leaving your childhood home after high school – he felt free and only had to worry about himself and think about what he needed to do.
Some days were long and some were grueling. The group rode an average of around 80-90 miles a day, with a few rest days here and there. The mountains were arduous at times and Brad was worried he might not be prepared for the elevation climbs. He trained for the trip in Iowa by riding against the strong winds. Would it be enough to prepare him?.
Some days were so physically challenging, he felt like stopping. He said there was one climb in particular that seemed to never end. He made it by setting a goal of just making it to the next bend. When bend after bend passed and fatigue was setting in, he began to have doubts in the back of his mind. But by repeatedly setting the goal of ‘just one more bend’, he made it to the top.
That wasn’t the end of the challenges though. Descents were tedious and dangerous. Technically speaking, they were the most challenging – and frightening at times. On one of the first descents, he found himself going over 40 mph around hairpin turns and felt the rubber leave the road at one point. The brakes had to be “feathered” and speed had to be kept under control.
Whether it was riding through the mountains, on the interstate, or small two-lane highways, it was necessary to be aware and ready 100% of the time. Even though the ride required his full focus and attention for 6-7 hours each day, he soaked up the beautiful scenery throughout the trip.
At the end of each day, he would rest, take care of bike maintenance, and enjoy a meal. He and others explored each town by walking around and chatting with the locals along the way.
Throughout the trip, Brad felt a sense of total freedom. He left email and work behind and focused on each moment of the trip.
Some days he rode by himself. On these days, he made the conscious decision to think about what he wanted to do and contemplate what might be next in his life. Though there were days that were physically challenging, it was the physical part that ended up being easier than expected.
Some days he rode with the other people in the group. Those on the ride had similar life desires and, when you go through a challenging experience like this, those strong bonds continue long after the experience is over. He had a great time, laughed more than he had in a long time, and built life-long friendships with his fellow riders.
One of the more interesting side effects Brad noticed was that he slept better than ever. Not just from the physical exercise, but the complete lack of stress and worries.
He said he simply felt happy.
Brad turned 50 just 3 days before the end of the trip. On that momentous last day, his entire family, including his brothers, flew out to the East Coast to watch him finish his adventure and dip his wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.
Takeaways
Did Brad get what he was seeking from the bike ride?
Though he didn’t get as far as he’d hoped in finding the answers to what was next, the answer is yes, he got what he was after. That and more. Here’s what he learned:
It was unrealistic and unfair to expect a bike ride to provide the answer. One of the goals Brad had for the ride was to figure out what it was he wanted to do when he got back. Though he didn’t necessarily arrive at the answer during the ride, he discovered what it was he did not want to do. He made the decision to make changes in his career path and move toward a more relaxed, less stressful and positive work life.
Adjusting to normal life again is hard. The hardest part of the trip was returning home and readjusting to life at home and work. It was surprisingly harder than he would have imagined and more difficult than any of the physical challenges he had faced.
That feeling of accomplishment. Brad learned a lot about himself on that ride. In the beginning, he had doubts, questions in the back of his mind, like “What if I can’t?”, “What if I have to quit?” At the end of it all, he felt capable with an unmatched sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction.
We’re just “One little speck”. Out there biking was like looking down from 30,000 feet at the world below and realizing that you’re pretty small in the grand scheme of things. You are just one person among all these other people and it’s not important to get so wrapped up in oneself.
Thank you, Brad, for sharing your story and experience with me – and allowing me to share it with others! 🙂
Deanna says
Wow, wow, wow!! My little brother bicycled from Ohio to California with two guys back in the early 2000’s. . It was a phenomenal accomplishment. At the time, he was still loving at home with our parents. I joked with him that if he could do something amazing like bike across the country, he could certainly move out on his own. He did eventually. Funnily, I ended up moving back with my parents for 1 &1/2 years to pay off debt. Haha!
Anyway, great story!
Amanda says
Haha! Love it, Deanna! 🙂 It’s such a HUGE accomplishment. It was awesome listening to Brad talk about his trip. It truly would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s great your brother had a similar accomplishment – it certainly would show you exactly what you’re capable of.